two by four

See also: two-by-four

English

sense 1

Alternative forms

• two-by-four

Noun

two by four (plural two by fours)

1. (chiefly Canada, US) A length of sawn wood of cross section approximately 2 inches by 4 inches, most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimensional lumber).
   • 1959, “Mary Don't You Weep”, performed by Nat King Cole:

     Well, Moses stood on the Red Sea shore, And smote the water with a two by four

   • (Can we date this quote?), “Linin' Track”, performed by Lead Belly:

     Moses stood on the Red Sea shore, smotin' that water with a two by four

2. (chiefly Canada, US, dated) A small, modest building.
   • 1930, George, Ira Gershwin, “But Not for Me”:

     He'll plan a two by four / But not for me.

3. (slang) Synonym of Tijuana Bible (“kind of pornographic comic book”)
   • 2008, Barry Schwartz, Abraham Lincoln in the Post-Heroic Era, page 354:

     […] the movie plot of Superman II, in which Superman and Lois Lane work up to a sexual liaison (which was seen before 1960 only in “two by fours” and similar pornographic comic strips.).

Derived terms

• clue-by-four

Translations

A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches

• Bulgarian: бичме́ (bičmé)
• Finnish: kakkosnelonen (fi)

See also

• four by two

Anagrams

• four by two, four-by-two